Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-11-02

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

We no longer need to have animals kept in zoos, so zoos should be closed.

Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Nowadays, some people belives that zoos should be closed and let the animals lives freely in the Jungle. In my opinion this is a true due to several reasons which I am going to discuss with some of my own personal experiences.

The city in which I live, I have visited small parks where people kept some animals in cages for display and two major zoos of my city. The first which is the biggest one came under the city munciple office. When I first visited that the staff was so caring to animals, after several years when I visited that again I found majority of animals in very poor condition even I found that one of two elephant having infection on its leg and caretaker are not properly caring it wound, there were lots flies sitting on its infected area, Tigers and loins are also seen in very bad condition there ribs are seen clearly from their skin and everywhere there were very bad smell so never every visited it again.

The other one is the private one, I have visited it multiple times and I have never ever seen any animal sufferring. I also had a good experince with that but, I always feel poor for them when I saw them in the cage. I belive that animal should live freely in the natural habitate so they won't depended on human for food, animal travels from one place to another place, so that they freely move anywhere.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you agree that animals should not be kept in zoos, and the examples from two local zoos are relevant. The contrast between the municipal zoo, where animals appeared neglected, and the private zoo, where they seemed better cared for, gives your argument a personal basis. However, the response addresses the issue only partially: it does not fully explain why zoos should be closed even when care is good, or consider possible benefits such as conservation. Your final point about animals living naturally is relevant but needs fuller explanation and support. The response is also one word below the required minimum. Develop the reasoning behind your position and add a specific example or explanation to make the argument more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction states your view, the body compares two zoos, and the final section explains your preference for animals living freely. This makes the main line of thought understandable. However, progression within the body is sometimes difficult to follow because several observations are joined in long sentences, particularly the description of the first zoo. The transition from the contrast between the two zoos to the broader claim that all animals should live freely also needs clearer explanation. Some linking is repetitive, such as repeated use of “and” and “so.” Use separate paragraphs for each main reason, and connect each example explicitly to your argument with clearer transitions and references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your experiences, including “cages,” “infection,” “caretaker,” and “natural habitat.” The contrast between animals being cared for and being confined is also relevant to the task. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make parts less clear, for example “munciple,” “loins,” “sufferring,” and “habitate.” Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “feel poor for them” and “travels from one place to another place.” Aim for more precise vocabulary and check spelling carefully. For instance, describe animals as “poorly treated” or “in poor condition,” and explain that they need space to “roam freely” in their natural environment.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “when” and “where,” and the reader can generally understand your main point. However, errors are frequent, and some long sentences are difficult to process. Examples include “some people belives,” “let the animals lives,” and “animal should live freely,” where subject–verb agreement or verb forms are incorrect. Articles and sentence construction also need attention: “The city in which I live, I have visited…” is not a complete, well-formed opening, and “one of two elephant having infection” lacks accurate grammatical structure. Break long sentences into shorter units, check agreement and verb forms, and use a wider range of sentence patterns with more reliable control.

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